Steering mechanism.



W. l. TWOIVIBLY.

STEERING MECHANISIVI.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. I5, I9I3.

19225290 Patented May 8,1917.

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Wl LLARD lm I N c Two Lvl @i W www? Q ILO UNTTET) STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

WILLARD IRVING TWOMBLY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO TWOMBLY CARCORI?ORA'IION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., .A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

STEERING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, T9117.

Application filed October 15, 1913. Serial No. 795,199.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLARD IRVING TWOMBLY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Steering Mechanism, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to steering mechanism for vehicles, motor boatsand the like, in which a rotatable post or spindle having a hand wheelfixed thereto is connected to the steering mechanism to actuate thesame, and relates particularly to the steering post.

In motor vehicles in order that the steering wheel will be in positionto be conveniently handled by the driver the post is of such length thatthe wheel is located in close proximityto the seat with result that itis inconvenient for the driver to get into the seat. Should the steeringpost be located at the right hand side of the vehicle and it is desiredthat someone occupy the seat beside the driver it is necessary for suchperson to go around the opposite side of the vehicle from that on whichthe steering post is located in order to get into the vehicle. This isvery inconvenient and especially dangerous in thoroughfares where thereis considerable traflic. Furthermore, While the steering wheel may belocated conveniently for one driver it will be inconvenient for others,since should the steering post be short it would require a tall personto bend or stoop over, and should the steering post be long and locatedclose to the seat it would be inconvenient for a short person to handle.This is also true in motor boats and other vehicles. Tt is the obj ectof the present invention to overcome the above disadvantages and forthis purpose T provide a steering post which is axially adjustable.

Tn carrying out the invention T provide a post consisting of telescopingsections, one section being mounted to rotate in a fixed poistion andconnected to the steering mechanism through a worm and worm wheel, or apinion and gear or gear segment, while the other section having thesteering wheell fixed thereto is axially movable, said iixed and movablesections having means to automatically coperate to lock the postsections in any adjusted position, and unlocked when an axial push orpull is applied to the post through the steering wheel.

.Tn the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is Fig. 2 is a sectional end view .taken on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional end view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l, lookingin the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the lower end of the post to illustrate amanner of connecting it to the steering mechanism of a vehicle, motorboat or the like; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, to illustrate the actionof the post sections When the post is being adjusted.

Similar characters of reference designate like parts throughout thedifferent views of the drawing.

The embodiment of my invention in the steering post illustrated in thedrawing consists of telescoping sections 6 and 7, 4the section 6 beingtubular and in the present instance circular in cross section. Thissection 6 is mounted to rotate in a fixed position, as in a bracket 8,which is fixed to the framework of the vehicle, motor boat or the like,and is operatively connected adjacent its lower end to the steeringmechanism, in the present instance shown as a worm 9 on said postsection meshing with worm wheel 10 of the steering mechanism, althoughit will be understood that this connection may consist of any suitablegearing, such as a bevel pinion on the steering post meshing with abevel gear or gear segment. The other post section 7 has a telescopingconnection with the section 6, and consists of a spindle having a handwheel 11 fixed thereto and slidably engaging in the post section 6. Torotate the tubular post section as the section 7 is'rotated by the handwheel 11y and thereby actuate or operate the steering mechanism, thetubular section is provided with a key 12 engaging in a longitudinalrecess 13 in the telescoping spindle 7, thus not only coupling the twopost sections so that they will rotate together` but also permittinglongitudinal or axial movement of the spindle 7.

To lock the spindle or post section 7 in adjusted positions the free endof the tubular section 6 isv split longitudinally to provide transverseslots and thereby provide resilient fingers 14 which are `adapted to besprung outward or laterally, but the normal tension of which will tendto normally maintain them in a plane with the walls of the main portionof the tubular section thereof it is. only necessary' to apply adownward pressure on the wheel.11 pushing it downward, this pressurecausing the resilient finger-flanges 15 to ride over the edges of theridges 17 between the annular grooves 16 causing the lingers to expandand ride along the ridges 17, as shown in Fig. 5, and engage in thesucceeding groove or grooves. When it is desired to lengthen the postall that is necessary is to exert a pull on the hand wheel 11 when theloperation of the resilient fingers will be repeated.

.It will be obvious that when the driver gets into the vehicle it willonly be necessary to push downward on the hand wheel l andwhen he againtakes his seat it is only necessary for him to exert a pull on the handwheel to -adjust the post to any position he may desire, and find mostconvenient for him.

yVariations may be resorted to within the scope of my invention. l

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with steering mechanism, of a rotatable postconsisting of a pair of sections, one section mounted to rotate in afixed position and operatively connected to the steering mechanism, andthe other section having a telescoping movement into and rotatable withthe fixed section; a plurality of axially spaced recesses in the innerpost section; and spring fingers integral with the outer section adaptedtol engage substantially the entire circumference of either one of' saidrecesses to retain the post sections in adjusted position, and saidlingers adapted to be thrown out of engagement with said recesses by anaxial push or pull on the post, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

2. rEhe combination with steering mechanism, of a longitudinaladjustable rotaof the tubular section; and recesses in the telescopingsection for the engagement of said fingers, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

3.' The combination with steering mechanism, of an adjustable rotatablepost consisting of a tubular section operatively connected to thesteering mechanism and hav-` ing integral resilient fingers/withinwardly turned flanges substantially encircling its free end andtensioned to spring inward, and a section to have telescoping movementinto and rotatable with the tubular section,

said telescoping section having a. series of j axially spaced apartannular recesses in which the linger flanges of the tubular section areadapted to engage to retain the post sections in adjusted position innormal use, and adapted to be thrown out of engagement with said`recesses when subjected to abnormal axial pressure for the purposespecified.

4. The combination with steering mechanism, ofsan adjustable rotatablepost consisting of a tubular section mounted to rotate in a fixedJposition and operatively connected to the steering mechanism, transverseslots in the free endV of said tubular' section to provide resilientfingers, said fingers having inwardly projecting Hanges,

said post section in either one of which the resilient finger flanges ofthe tubular postv are adapted to engage to lock said post section inadjusted position, said resilient fingers. adapted to be sprung out ofoperative engagement with the annular grooves to unlock the post sectionwhen an axial pressure or pull is applied to the slidable post section,a longitudinal groove. inthe slidable post, secti-on, and a key fixed inthe tubular post section to engage in said groove to rotatably connectthe post sections and permit adjustment thereof'. j

5. An axially adjustable steering wheel pillar, comprising a tubularpost fixed to the steering reduction groove mechanism, a movable posttelescoping therein and fixed to the steering wheel and adapted to beaxially removed from said fixed tubular section, a key interior to thetubular section and a longitudinal groove in engagement' therewithextending from one end of said los Lamas@ post, a series of spacedcircumferential grooves on said adjustable post from a point adjacentthe end of said longitudinal groove to a point adjacent to said steeringhand-Wheel, a yielding clip at the free end lof said tubular sectionsubstantially surrounding the adjustable to engage any of sai groovesabout their circumference,

(post and adapted circumferential whereby WILLARD lRVINGr TWQMBLY.Witnesses:

J. O. SEuERT, V LAURA E. SMITH.

